Rising Neuse puts Johnston under flood warning

Raleigh, N.C. — A forecast for at least one more day of drenching rains across central North Carolina prompted the National Weather Service to issue a flood warning along the Neuse River from Wednesday through Saturday evening.

The remnants of Tropical Storm Ida blended with an area of low pressure off the coast, bringing several inches of rain to the state Wednesday. The forecast called for several more inches on Thursday and early Friday.

Property owners near Crabtree Creek in Raleigh, which is notorious for flooding during heavy rains, took precautions as the creek began rising Wednesday morning.

Residents at Brookhill apartments on Dana Drive were evacuated.

“We got up just in time to move our vehicles. Probably, a couple of hours after that, authorities came and helped evacuate everybody and all the buildings,” Brookhill resident Mark Kaziah said.

Car dealers on Wake Forest Road cleared vehicles off their lots and moved them to higher ground. Crabtree Valley Mall managers taped off sections of a parking garage to keep customers' vehicles dry.

"It's pretty nasty, rainy and chilly, but it's not going to slow us down," said Allison King, who was shopping at the mall with her mother. "We're just going to continue to enjoy our time together."

"As long as we don't have any flooding and we get out of the drought, we're good," shopper Kimberly Horne said.

Three years ago, Crabtree Creek flowed out of its banks when Tropical Storm Alberto dropped 5.6 inches of rain on Raleigh in a single day. WRAL meteorologist Mike Moss said the current system is different in that it's moving more slowly and the rain will be spread over a few days.

In Fayetteville, officials were keeping a close eye on Cross Creek, which was also swollen Wednesday evening.

Water rushing into a storm drain in Carrboro caused a 3,600-gallon sewage spill near Rosewalk Lane and Berryhill Drive, according to the Orange Water and Sewer Authority.

Raleigh street crews and state Department of Transportation workers spent much of Tuesday clearing dead leaves from storm drains to prevent the drains from clogging and flooding nearby areas.

Slick roads caused several wrecks across the Triangle Wednesday morning, and the Interstate 440 Beltline was especially treacherous.

A car hydroplaned and flipped over on westbound I-440 between Glenwood Avenue and Lake Boone Trail shortly after 2 a.m., and crews had to cut a woman out of the car. A pickup overturned on eastbound I-440 between Six Forks and Wake Forest roads about 10 minutes earlier.

"We've got a lot of water on the roads. ... You just need to go slow," WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said. "It's one of those days that, if you don't have to go out, don't go."

Traffic moved along area highways slowly and steadily during evening rush hour.

Winds were gusting at 20 to 30 mph Wednesday, and Fishel said gusts could reach 40 mph late Wednesday and Thursday.

"Those winds are going to be staying as strong, if not getting stronger," he said. "With the additional rain and the wet soil, the potential will be growing for more trees to come down."

A tree hit several cars at the Rock Haven Apartments complex in Carrboro. An oak tree that was more than 40 years old narrowly missed hitting Frank and Linda Hicks' house on Blaney Franks Road in Apex.

"It jarred the ground. We felt it. We both jumped up and said, ‘What was that?'” Frank Hicks said.

Another oak fell on the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill campus, blocking the entrance to a classroom building and shattering several windows.

The wind and flood warnings prompted Pender County Schools to delay classes by two hours on Thursday. Harrells Christian Academy is also delayed by two hours Thursday.

The storm that started the week as Hurricane Ida weakened Tuesday after making landfall in southern Alabama. It was downgraded to a tropical depression as it moved east over the Florida panhandle.

Moisture from that system joined forces with a cold front and a separate low pressure system off the coast of North and South Carolina to produce a nor'easter that Fishel said would continue to dump rain on the eastern half of the state into Friday.

The weather service predicted another 1.5 inches of rain in Raleigh by Friday and almost an inch in Fayetteville. Coastal areas would likely bear the brunt of the nor'easter, with more than 3 inches forecast in Beaufort and 7.5 inches in Elizabeth City.

Fishel said the Triangle could see more rain that that, though.

"We're not going to rule out that we're going to have additional heavy rains," he said. "As we head into Friday, it does appear the heaviest rain starts to shift to the north and east, and we will have lighter, spottier rains."

Cloud cover will keep temperatures in the low 50s Thursday and the upper 50s Friday, with overnight lows in the upper 40s.

The skies should finally clear Saturday afternoon, and highs were expected to be in the upper 60s to low 70s on Saturday and Sunday.

"If we can just get past the next couple of days without any major problems, we're home free," Fishel said.

A Look at the Radar: Lots going on in weather across the country. A weak cold front is popping a few showers in Virginia - those may stay together and move through overnight - and Tropical Storm Cristobal is...Read More

A Look at the Radar: Lots going on in weather across the country. A weak cold front is popping a few showers in Virginia - those may stay together and move through overnight - and Tropical Storm Cristobal is bringing rain to the Gulf Coast. The latest tonight.

A Look at the Radar: Lots going on in weather across the country. A weak cold front is popping a few showers in Virginia - those may stay together and move through overnight - and Tropical Storm Cristobal is...Read More

A Look at the Radar: Lots going on in weather across the country. A weak cold front is popping a few showers in Virginia - those may stay together and move through overnight - and Tropical Storm Cristobal is bringing rain to the Gulf Coast. The latest tonight.

A Look at the Radar: Lots going on in weather across the country. A weak cold front is popping a few showers in Virginia - those may stay together and move through overnight - and Tropical Storm Cristobal is...Read More

A Look at the Radar: Lots going on in weather across the country. A weak cold front is popping a few showers in Virginia - those may stay together and move through overnight - and Tropical Storm Cristobal is bringing rain to the Gulf Coast. The latest tonight.

This Evening: The few showers that are popping up will stay southeast of our area. We will have a warm and partly cloudy evening. The latest forecast with a breakdown on how Tropical Storm Cristobal could...Read More

This Evening: The few showers that are popping up will stay southeast of our area. We will have a warm and partly cloudy evening. The latest forecast with a breakdown on how Tropical Storm Cristobal could influence our weather this evening on WRAL News.

This Evening: The few showers that are popping up will stay southeast of our area. We will have a warm and partly cloudy evening. The latest forecast with a breakdown on how Tropical Storm Cristobal could...Read More

This Evening: The few showers that are popping up will stay southeast of our area. We will have a warm and partly cloudy evening. The latest forecast with a breakdown on how Tropical Storm Cristobal could influence our weather this evening on WRAL News.

This Evening: The few showers that are popping up will stay southeast of our area. We will have a warm and partly cloudy evening. The latest forecast with a breakdown on how Tropical Storm Cristobal could...Read More

This Evening: The few showers that are popping up will stay southeast of our area. We will have a warm and partly cloudy evening. The latest forecast with a breakdown on how Tropical Storm Cristobal could influence our weather this evening on WRAL News.

If you are going to spend an extended period of time outside today, wear light colored clothing and stay hydrated. Highs will be in the lower 90s. Coming up on WRAL, I'll show you what system will soon bring a...Read More

If you are going to spend an extended period of time outside today, wear light colored clothing and stay hydrated. Highs will be in the lower 90s. Coming up on WRAL, I'll show you what system will soon bring a relief in temperatures.

If you are going to spend an extended period of time outside today, wear light colored clothing and stay hydrated. Highs will be in the lower 90s. Coming up on WRAL, I'll show you what system will soon bring a...Read More

If you are going to spend an extended period of time outside today, wear light colored clothing and stay hydrated. Highs will be in the lower 90s. Coming up on WRAL, I'll show you what system will soon bring a relief in temperatures.

If you are going to spend an extended period of time outside today, wear light colored clothing and stay hydrated. Highs will be in the lower 90s. Coming up on WRAL, I'll show you what system will soon bring a...Read More

If you are going to spend an extended period of time outside today, wear light colored clothing and stay hydrated. Highs will be in the lower 90s. Coming up on WRAL, I'll show you what system will soon bring a relief in temperatures.

Cristobal has moved over water and has become a tropical storm again. It is moving north and will close in on the Louisiana coast Sunday. It is expected to be a strong tropical storm at landfall Sunday night.

Cristobal has moved over water and has become a tropical storm again. It is moving north and will close in on the Louisiana coast Sunday. It is expected to be a strong tropical storm at landfall Sunday night.

Cristobal has moved over water and has become a tropical storm again. It is moving north and will close in on the Louisiana coast Sunday. It is expected to be a strong tropical storm at landfall Sunday night.

Happy Friday! There's only a 30% chance of storms for your dinner forecast tonight. Storm chances will increase again tonight between 8 PM and midnight. Turn on WRAL at 4 for your hour-by-hour weekend planner....Read More

Happy Friday! There's only a 30% chance of storms for your dinner forecast tonight. Storm chances will increase again tonight between 8 PM and midnight. Turn on WRAL at 4 for your hour-by-hour weekend planner. What are your plans this weekend?
@wralweather #ncwx #wral https://t.co/t0ntNsKHuR

Happy Friday! There's only a 30% chance of storms for your dinner forecast tonight. Storm chances will increase again tonight between 8 PM and midnight. Turn on WRAL at 4 for your hour-by-hour weekend planner....Read More

Happy Friday! There's only a 30% chance of storms for your dinner forecast tonight. Storm chances will increase again tonight between 8 PM and midnight. Turn on WRAL at 4 for your hour-by-hour weekend planner. What are your plans this weekend?
@wralweather #ncwx #wral https://t.co/t0ntNsKHuR

Happy Friday! There's only a 30% chance of storms for your dinner forecast tonight. Storm chances will increase again tonight between 8 PM and midnight. Turn on WRAL at 4 for your hour-by-hour weekend planner....Read More

Happy Friday! There's only a 30% chance of storms for your dinner forecast tonight. Storm chances will increase again tonight between 8 PM and midnight. Turn on WRAL at 4 for your hour-by-hour weekend planner. What are your plans this weekend?
@wralweather #ncwx #wral https://t.co/t0ntNsKHuR

The Storm Prediction Center expanded our Severe Threat for this afternoon. It now includes most of our counties. The most lilkely time for severe storms will be this evening. Mike and Kat will have the latest...Read More

The Storm Prediction Center expanded our Severe Threat for this afternoon. It now includes most of our counties. The most lilkely time for severe storms will be this evening. Mike and Kat will have the latest Futurecast runs on our newscasts this afternoon.

The Storm Prediction Center expanded our Severe Threat for this afternoon. It now includes most of our counties. The most lilkely time for severe storms will be this evening. Mike and Kat will have the latest...Read More

The Storm Prediction Center expanded our Severe Threat for this afternoon. It now includes most of our counties. The most lilkely time for severe storms will be this evening. Mike and Kat will have the latest Futurecast runs on our newscasts this afternoon.

The Storm Prediction Center expanded our Severe Threat for this afternoon. It now includes most of our counties. The most lilkely time for severe storms will be this evening. Mike and Kat will have the latest...Read More

The Storm Prediction Center expanded our Severe Threat for this afternoon. It now includes most of our counties. The most lilkely time for severe storms will be this evening. Mike and Kat will have the latest Futurecast runs on our newscasts this afternoon.

Happy Friday! We are watching a few showers this morning, but scattered storms will be with us later today. Not everyone will see rain and storms today as these are those summertime storms that remain spotty.

Happy Friday! We are watching a few showers this morning, but scattered storms will be with us later today. Not everyone will see rain and storms today as these are those summertime storms that remain spotty.

Happy Friday! We are watching a few showers this morning, but scattered storms will be with us later today. Not everyone will see rain and storms today as these are those summertime storms that remain spotty.

Most storms today have stayed to our north and west. Rain and storm chances will be increasing tomorrow. Turn on FOX50 at 10 for tomorrow's storm timeline.
@wralweather #ncwx #wral https://t.co/ffJa4irXGs

Most storms today have stayed to our north and west. Rain and storm chances will be increasing tomorrow. Turn on FOX50 at 10 for tomorrow's storm timeline.
@wralweather #ncwx #wral https://t.co/ffJa4irXGs

Most storms today have stayed to our north and west. Rain and storm chances will be increasing tomorrow. Turn on FOX50 at 10 for tomorrow's storm timeline.
@wralweather #ncwx #wral https://t.co/ffJa4irXGs

With dew points in the 70s in many locations this afternoon we are feeling a difference today with heat index values in the mid-upper 90s. Keep cool into the evening. It should not be quite as uncomfortable...Read More

With dew points in the 70s in many locations this afternoon we are feeling a difference today with heat index values in the mid-upper 90s. Keep cool into the evening. It should not be quite as uncomfortable tomorrow.

With dew points in the 70s in many locations this afternoon we are feeling a difference today with heat index values in the mid-upper 90s. Keep cool into the evening. It should not be quite as uncomfortable...Read More

With dew points in the 70s in many locations this afternoon we are feeling a difference today with heat index values in the mid-upper 90s. Keep cool into the evening. It should not be quite as uncomfortable tomorrow.

With dew points in the 70s in many locations this afternoon we are feeling a difference today with heat index values in the mid-upper 90s. Keep cool into the evening. It should not be quite as uncomfortable...Read More

With dew points in the 70s in many locations this afternoon we are feeling a difference today with heat index values in the mid-upper 90s. Keep cool into the evening. It should not be quite as uncomfortable tomorrow.

The Storm Prediction Center shrunk the area covered by our level one risk for severe storms this afternoon. The Triangle is no longer in the risk area but counties near VA are. Mike and Kat will be tracking...Read More

The Storm Prediction Center shrunk the area covered by our level one risk for severe storms this afternoon. The Triangle is no longer in the risk area but counties near VA are. Mike and Kat will be tracking any developing storms on TV this evening.

The Storm Prediction Center shrunk the area covered by our level one risk for severe storms this afternoon. The Triangle is no longer in the risk area but counties near VA are. Mike and Kat will be tracking...Read More

The Storm Prediction Center shrunk the area covered by our level one risk for severe storms this afternoon. The Triangle is no longer in the risk area but counties near VA are. Mike and Kat will be tracking any developing storms on TV this evening.

The Storm Prediction Center shrunk the area covered by our level one risk for severe storms this afternoon. The Triangle is no longer in the risk area but counties near VA are. Mike and Kat will be tracking...Read More

The Storm Prediction Center shrunk the area covered by our level one risk for severe storms this afternoon. The Triangle is no longer in the risk area but counties near VA are. Mike and Kat will be tracking any developing storms on TV this evening.

We have a level one risk for severe storms this afternoon from the triangle north and west. There is a 20% chance of storms so most of us won't see them. But storms that do develop could produce some damaging...Read More

We have a level one risk for severe storms this afternoon from the triangle north and west. There is a 20% chance of storms so most of us won't see them. But storms that do develop could produce some damaging winds. On TV I'll show you the tiimeline on futurecast.

We have a level one risk for severe storms this afternoon from the triangle north and west. There is a 20% chance of storms so most of us won't see them. But storms that do develop could produce some damaging...Read More

We have a level one risk for severe storms this afternoon from the triangle north and west. There is a 20% chance of storms so most of us won't see them. But storms that do develop could produce some damaging winds. On TV I'll show you the tiimeline on futurecast.

We have a level one risk for severe storms this afternoon from the triangle north and west. There is a 20% chance of storms so most of us won't see them. But storms that do develop could produce some damaging...Read More

We have a level one risk for severe storms this afternoon from the triangle north and west. There is a 20% chance of storms so most of us won't see them. But storms that do develop could produce some damaging winds. On TV I'll show you the tiimeline on futurecast.

Today's Headlines: It's going to be warm again today and that will spawn a few storms this afternoon. Most of that activity will stay west and northwest of Raleigh. We are also keeping an eye on Tropical Storm...Read More

Today's Headlines: It's going to be warm again today and that will spawn a few storms this afternoon. Most of that activity will stay west and northwest of Raleigh. We are also keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Cristobal as it moves towards the Yucatan Peninsula.

Today's Headlines: It's going to be warm again today and that will spawn a few storms this afternoon. Most of that activity will stay west and northwest of Raleigh. We are also keeping an eye on Tropical Storm...Read More

Today's Headlines: It's going to be warm again today and that will spawn a few storms this afternoon. Most of that activity will stay west and northwest of Raleigh. We are also keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Cristobal as it moves towards the Yucatan Peninsula.

Today's Headlines: It's going to be warm again today and that will spawn a few storms this afternoon. Most of that activity will stay west and northwest of Raleigh. We are also keeping an eye on Tropical Storm...Read More

Today's Headlines: It's going to be warm again today and that will spawn a few storms this afternoon. Most of that activity will stay west and northwest of Raleigh. We are also keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Cristobal as it moves towards the Yucatan Peninsula.

What a gorgeous end to the day on Lake Gaston where a lot of folks went to beat the first heat of June. We have more heat ahead for Thursday with a small chance for afternoon storms on the lake. Stay cool.

What a gorgeous end to the day on Lake Gaston where a lot of folks went to beat the first heat of June. We have more heat ahead for Thursday with a small chance for afternoon storms on the lake. Stay cool.

What a gorgeous end to the day on Lake Gaston where a lot of folks went to beat the first heat of June. We have more heat ahead for Thursday with a small chance for afternoon storms on the lake. Stay cool.